manhatton Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 So I just read the Fatheree article on mysterious clam death ( http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2009/3/aafeature1 ), and am now officially peeved. I have had this clam for almost a month and moved him up 4-5" in hopes that he'd attach to a sweet piece of rock. Well, by morning he had fallen down and landed up against a few heads of frogspawn. I can only guess he was attacked during the night. This particular coral is very aggressive. Since then he's been gaping, I've moved him back down and haven't seen any change. I'm starting to accept he'll probably be lost, but I figured I'd see if anyone had recovery stories from this point . Here are some pics: My other crocea is happy as...you know the rest.... Link to comment
Jacobnano Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 Why is your other clam on its side? Link to comment
manhatton Posted May 2, 2010 Author Share Posted May 2, 2010 Why is your other clam on its side? He seems to like it that way. I tried "righting" him on more than one occasion, but I gave up as he's trying to attach to the rock behind him. Link to comment
nemmy Posted May 2, 2010 Share Posted May 2, 2010 Someone activate the rockfish signal Link to comment
manhatton Posted May 2, 2010 Author Share Posted May 2, 2010 Someone activate the rockfish signal I was secretly hoping he'd chime in.... Link to comment
cheryl jordan Posted May 3, 2010 Share Posted May 3, 2010 Hi, since RF seems to have taken the weekend off I will give it a whirl. Sorry to say but you probably know by now that clam is hx. Clams need to be postioned so the mantle is facing the light source, upright. When laying down they are not getting enough light and everything in world can cause them stress. Clams are expensive so I would research some of the experts in the clam world, such as Daniel Knop. Research will save you a ton of money and heart ache. You can always PM RF, and again sorry about your clam. Link to comment
Rockfish Posted May 3, 2010 Share Posted May 3, 2010 Hi, since RF seems to have taken the weekend off I will give it a whirl. Sorry to say but you probably know by now that clam is hx. Clams need to be postioned so the mantle is facing the light source, upright. When laying down they are not getting enough light and everything in world can cause them stress. Clams are expensive so I would research some of the experts in the clam world, such as Daniel Knop. Research will save you a ton of money and heart ache. You can always PM RF, and again sorry about your clam. Thanks to my co-pilot for fielding that question and i'm sorry about the weekend guys.....very busy i'm sorry to say that Cheryl is right.....that clam will not make it And once again agree with Cheryl, clam main source of not only food but energy as well is light so when they are slumped over on their side like that they don't get enough of either I don't agree however that the coral it fell next to would have killed the clam if in fact it was healthy in the first place a healthy clam wouldn't have just sat there and let it be stung......they have the ability to close tightly and move on their own and if in the general area of a coral that's giving them issues they do so quite readily there was something underlying there that cause the clam to die.....the coral only helped it along that article that you posted is one of my favorites....there are many reasons why clams just suddenly die but sometimes you just don't pick up on the warning signs because there simply are NONE!! research!!!! It's the best for finding out what you want to know!! I'M THE SECOND BEST!!! Link to comment
Jungle_John Posted May 3, 2010 Share Posted May 3, 2010 just a quick question i have. did you burp the clam before putting him on the sand? alot of time they will get air pockets in them if not burped, takes awhile for the air to make a hole in a clam but when it dose its a goner. was the clam turning every way? on its sides and stuff before gapping that bad? Link to comment
manhatton Posted May 3, 2010 Author Share Posted May 3, 2010 just a quick question i have. did you burp the clam before putting him on the sand? alot of time they will get air pockets in them if not burped, takes awhile for the air to make a hole in a clam but when it dose its a goner. was the clam turning every way? on its sides and stuff before gapping that bad? He was burped when originally placed (~4 weeks ago) and was not brought above the surface after, so no need to burp again. @ Cheryl and RF: I understand the importance of lighting in the clams metabolic process, and so I am really questioning if I should continue to bother standing this clam up, if after 5+ attempts it has placed itself back into this horizontal disposition. Would not the continuous removal of the byssal threads cause undue stress to a specimen that appears healthy? This clam has been a part of this tank for nearly 8 weeks and is very responsive. Still, is it advisable to keep "fixing" his position? Link to comment
cheryl jordan Posted May 3, 2010 Share Posted May 3, 2010 Well I am shocked it is still alive and will be even more shocked if you do not see its demise soon. Judging by the pictures the area of mantle near the siphon appears to be bleached as well. I would place the clam in a sm. bowl or container (placed in your tank) that does not allow the clam to fall over. Try placing some rubble and sand in there as well. Your clam may have a few different things going on that have contibuted to it's present state. You may want to try Steve T's clam pedestals in the future to help maintain the proper position for your clam. I would also examine the clam for pyramid snails. Please let us know how it turns out. Link to comment
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